Privacy Statement

Introduction

Your privacy on the Internet is of utmost importance to Secretariat of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (the "Secretariat"). This privacy statement describes the Secretariat’s policy concerning the gathering and sharing of information about visitors or Users (as defined in the Terms of Use applicable to the Secretariat’s web site) through the Secretariat’s web site. It applies to all “Secretariat sites” – that is, all sites within the "basel.int", "pic.int" or "pops.int" domains names and sites hosted by the Secretariat.

This Privacy Policy is to be read in conjunction with the Terms of Use applicable to and available on the Secretariat’s web site.

What Information Does the Secretariat Collect?

Normal web site usage and collection of non-personally identifiable information

In general, you can browse the Secretariat’s web site without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. The only information we gather during general browsing is from standard server logs. These include your IP (Internet Protocol) address, domain name, browser type, operating system, and information such as the web site that referred you to us, the files you download, the pages you visit, and the dates/times of those visits. These will not specifically identify you. The information will be used internally only for web site traffic analysis.

Collection of personally identifiable information

By way of examples and not as a limitation, if you register for a newsletter, log on to certain Secretariat’s sites, order a book, request information, provide feedback, apply for a job, join a discussion group or join an electronic mailing list, access to other message or communication facilities such as the ones in connection with the Clearing House Mechanism, etc. (collectively referred to as "Fora" and, individually, as “Forum”), you may be asked to provide personal information such as your name, postal address and e-mail address. This information is collected only with your knowledge and permission, and is kept in the Secretariat’s databases and mailing lists related to the services provided.

For certain Secretariat’s sites, registering or supplying personal information sets a cookie. By setting this cookie, the Secretariat will remember your details the next time you visit, so you don’t have to re-enter the information. This helps us to provide you with a better service.

Joining electronic discussion groups may mean that other participants of the discussion group (including non-Secretariat’s staff) will see personal information that you have volunteered. For open discussion groups, this information will be public.

What does the Secretariat do with the information it collects?

Normal web site usage and non-personally identifiable information

The information gathered during general browsing of the "basel.int", "pic.int", "pops.int" domains are used to analyse trends and usage of the Secretariat site and to improve the usefulness of the site. It is not connected with any personal information.

Personally identifiable information

The Secretariat may use the personal information you provide in order to, including but not limited to:

Contact you - either in response to a query or suggestion, or to mail newsletters, documents, publications etc. to you;

Manage and process your job application;

Confirm your purchases and registrations on the site;

Obtain payment for purchases through the site (via credit card);

"Remember" your online profile and preferences;

Help you quickly find information that is relevant to you based on your interests, and help us create site content most relevant to you;

Statistical analysis.

What If I Don't Want to Share My Information?

Registering or providing personal information on the Secretariat’s site is optional. If you choose not to register or provide personal information, you can still use the Secretariat’s web site, but you will not be able to, by way of examples but without a limitation, carry out certain actions such as purchase publications or register for a newsletter. The Secretariat views the customer information that it collects as a trusted asset for which we take great care in not misusing.

Opting out and changing your information

At any time, you can cancel or modify your information by returning to the web page where you first provided the information and/or contacting the Secretariat at sbc@unep.org.

Security

If you register for a newsletter, forum, consultation, or conference, etc. the Secretariat will not share, sell, distribute or rent your personal information to any other organization or entities.

Any information provided to the Secretariat by Users of the Secretariat’s site is held with the utmost care and security, and will not be used by the Secretariat in ways other than as set forth in this Privacy Policy, or in ways to which you have explicitly consented. The Secretariat employs a range of technologies and security measures to protect the information maintained on our systems from loss, misuse, unauthorized access or disclosure, alteration, or destruction.

All our employees who have access to, and are associated with the processing of personal data, are obliged to respect the confidentiality of official business matters, including personal data.

The Secretariat’s web site contains links to sites not hosted by the Secretariat. The Secretariat is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such sites. Please read the Terms of Use applicable to the Secretariat’s web site for more information on such security aspects.

Notification of Changes to the Privacy Policy

The Secretariat reserves the right to amend the present Privacy Policy at its own discretion. If there are any changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post them on our home page.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about the Secretariat’s Privacy Policy, please contact us at sbc@unep.org.

Glossary

Cookie: a cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier, which is sent to your browser from a web site's computers and stored on your computer's hard drive. Each web site can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites. Once the User has closed the browser, the cookie will no longer be accessed during that session.

IP Address: when your web browser or e-mail application requests a web page or e-mail from another computer on the Internet, it automatically gives that computer the address where it should send the information. This is called your computer's "IP address" (IP stands for "Internet Protocol"). For many Users accessing the Internet from a dial-up Internet Service Provider (ISP), the IP address will be different every time you log on.